I Do, Do You?
by ImaSupernaturalCSI
Summary: Because the way the day's going...who knows! The flower girl's in her Terrible Twos, one groomsman is proposing, one's in a standoff, Adam's wearing sneakers and no one's seen the rings. D/L/L, Flangell, HawkesOC and SMacked!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer****: I don't own the characters of "CSI:NY"-they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS**

**Author's Note****: I think I still owe the world a Fiesta wedding but...lilymoonlight's been inspiring me to try to write some SMacked. So here's my attempt, we'll see how it goes. Features Evangeline from my "Songs In My Head" series for Hawkes, because I couldn't bear to have such a nice, good-looking guy stuck at a wedding with everybody else paired off...well, almost everybody...Constructive criticism is usually warranted and always appreciated.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE<strong>

"Well I knew he wasn't gonna fall for Jo," Danny said as he buttoned his shirt. "Seriously? Like we didn't all know he was gonna run to Stell eventually. Absence makes the heart grown fonder and all that, right?"

"No wonder you're best man," Lindsay said dryly, applying mascara to her lashes. "You know him so well."

"I would've paid good money to see Mac get on one knee and propose." Danny snickered. "He's never struck me as the romantic type."

Lindsay snapped the cover on her makeup and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on," she said. "Mac's good-looking, he's smart, he's got a good sense of humor-and he looks hot in a uniform." She winked at her husband. "He wouldn't have had to get on one knee-all it would've took was a ring and 'Stella, marry me'." She smoothed the dry cleaner's bag over her pale blue dress. "Or at least…that's all it would've taken with me."

"Hey!" Danny protested, and Lindsay laughed at the miffed look on his face.

"Oh relax, sweetie, I love you. Do you have the rings?"

"Nope. They're down at the jewelers gettin' shined. I gotta go get 'em before the ceremony. I'll just drop you and the flower girl off at the church and swing over and get them." He grinned as Lucy toddled into her parents bedroom in a little white gown with a wreath of flowers in her blonde hair.

"Well if she ain't the prettiest girl I ever saw," Danny smiled as he picked his daughter up. "Oops, you've been into the cookies already this mornin', huh?"

"My cookies," Lucy informed him. Chocolate fingerprints were smudged down the front of the dress, and crumbs were collected in the corner of her mouth.

Lindsay turned around and gasped. "Oh Lucy, I told you to stay _out_ of the cookies. Look at your dress!"

"Icky dress. My cookies," Lucy countered.

Lindsay sighed. "You're taking the 'terrible twos' to a whole new level, kiddo." She took their daughter in her arms, trying to keep Lucy from pawing the front of her dress. "Come on, kiddo, let's see if we can Tide pen those stains out."

* * *

><p>Don Flack Jr. was nervous as hell.<p>

In T-minus four hours, Mac Taylor would be getting married to Stella Bonasera. Don would stand up with him as he said his 'I Do's.' And then, if all went according to plan, in T-minus five hours, Jess Angell would be wearing a ring of her own.

He fingered the velvet box in his jacket pocket. It had taken him two years to save for this ring. Detective's paychecks weren't all they cracked up to be. But he'd finally had enough. The ring was now securely in his possession and, he hoped, would be securely on Jess's finger soon.

"Baby, are you about ready?"

"One sec!"

"Women," Flack muttered under his breath. Seriously. He'd gotten up, showered, put on his suit and tie, shined his shoes, secreted his engagement ring away, and had been sitting on the edge of the bed for the past hour. What was _with_ a woman that it took her so damned long to get ready?

"I heard that!" Jess yelled from the bathroom.

_Whoops_. He hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud. "Just throw your hair in a ponytail and let's get outta here!" he teased back.

"Shut up, Flack!"

He chuckled to himself. It was so easy to get her going. And annoying her was taking his mind off his nerves…

* * *

><p>Sheldon Hawkes cleaned up <em>nice<em>.

The suit fit him just right. She watched him adjust his tie, expert fingers, the skilled hands of an ex-surgeon looping the material and pulling it into a taut knot at his throat. And she thought the goatee he was growing made him look more distinguished somehow.

"What?" She realized he'd been talking to her…well, it wasn't her fault she was distracted! She had most decidedly _not_ been staring at his mouth… "Sorry, baby." She smiled as he came over to the hotel bed and stopped inches from her face. She felt her ears getting red. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah, I got that," Hawkes kidded. "I asked if you knew where my cufflinks were."

She glanced around the room. Things were strewn kind of haphazard around the place. "Um…." She glanced up into his eyes. "Sorry. No."

He smiled. "You're no help."

Evangeline Russell, Angie to her friends, rolled off the bed in Hawkes' t-shirt and her underwear and started a halfhearted search for his missing cufflinks. She purposely kept tossing clothes back his direction, nailing him perfectly in the nose with her tanktop. The cufflinks were soon forgotten as Hawkes leapt over the mess on the floor, and Angie gave up the search as it turned into an all-out war. Hawkes picked up one of the pillows. "You're gonna wrinkle," Angie protested as he raised the pillow above his head.

"There's an iron in the closet," he replied as he chucked the pillow at her. Angie squealed and ducked as the pillow sailed harmlessly over her head. She came up laughing with one of Hawkes's tennis shoes and tossed it lightly at him. He caught it, let it fall harmlessly to the floor, then decided he'd had enough. He grabbed her around the waist and tossed her backwards on the bed. He climbed up next to her and sat there on his knees, staring at her. Her brown eyes sparkled.

"You know the wedding's in like two hours and you're not even dressed," he pointed out.

She pouted. "And you are," she objected, as his hand absently trailed up and down her bare leg.

Hawkes glanced at his watch. "Two hours?"

Angie nodded. "Two hours," she confirmed.

He loosened his tie.

She grinned. She loved it when she got her way.

* * *

><p>"All right, I'll see you guys after I get the rings. Oh…and tell Flack not to propose until I get back!" Danny waved at Lindsay and Lucy before climbing back into the cab.<p>

"Wave bye to Daddy," Lindsay said.

Lucy looked at her mother. "No."

Lindsay rolled her eyes.

"Hi Linds, hey Lucy," Adam Ross hopped up the stairs, looking slightly disheveled as usual. There was no saving his hair, his pants looked one size almost too big, the jacket sleeves were a little short, and the tie was hung loosely around his neck. And he was wearing his sneakers.

"Hi Adam," Lindsay said, grinning. "Lucy, say 'hi' to Uncle Adam."

Lucy wrinkled her nose. "No Uncle Adam," she said. "Cookie."

"You are _not_ getting another cookie while you're in that dress!"

"Icky dress. Cookie."

"Gotta love the terrible twos," Adam said. "Hey uh….you seen Mac yet?"

Lindsay shook her head. "Not yet, and today my loyalty is to the bride anyway," she replied.

"Looks like someone was into chocolate this morning," Jo Danville observed.

Lindsay groaned. "You can _still_ see it on her dress?"

Jo, Tyler and Ellie stepped up to the group. "Actually no, I can see it on her shoes," Jo replied. "Ellie, go see if you can find a paper towel, and then would you guys mind watching Lucy for a bit? Her mommy and I have to go help the bride get ready."

Tyler looked horrified at the prospect of babysitting, but Ellie shot him a Look that was oh-so-classic Jo. "Sure, Mom," she said pointedly, her eyes on her older brother.

Lindsay handed a squirming, unhappy Lucy over to the two Danville siblings, and then she and Jo headed for the little room in the back of the church, where one nervous bride was waiting…


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

Mac Taylor was pacing.

But, he supposed, that action was normal. He'd done it when he and Claire had gotten married. The jittery butterflies in his stomach were a good thing. If you went into something this big without even a little trepidation, you were asking for trouble. This was one situation you couldn't be overconfident in.

He glanced in the mirror and straightened his tie. Stella had teased him about not wearing his uniform, but Mac pointed out, "You're marrying me, not the uniform. Besides…I've been in a suit and tie a lot longer than I've been in a uniform. And it would look a little strange, me there in uniform and Hawkes, Flack and Danny in suits and ties."

To which Stella had replied, "Everybody's supposed to be lookin' at you anyway."

He looked at his watch. _Two hours._

"Knockity knock knock!" Adam Ross's voice singsonged from the other side of the pastor's office door. He poked his head inside and whistled. "Wow, boss."

Mac chuckled. The young man's demeanor was infectious. "Hi Adam," he replied.

"Dude, you're gettin' married, man," Adam said with a grin. "It's about time, you know."

Mac raised an eyebrow. "And what does that mean, exactly?"

"Well," Adam began, suddenly self-conscious, "I mean….come on, Mac, we all knew it was gonna happen sooner or later." Mac sat down on the desk, and Adam came to stand by him. "It wasn't like you hid it very well or anything."

"Oh really?" Mac crossed his arms and waited for the lab tech to continue.

"We-ell…." Adam paused. _Shut up, Ross, man, you say anything else and the only thing you'll be analyzing is the help wanted ads…_He felt his ears turning red.

"Keep talking," Mac said with an amused smile on his face.

"Well I mean….like when you guys would work a scene together, you just bantered really well. Or like, you'd need something from your kit and Stella was right there before you even asked for it. Or days when I'd be on late shift, and you guys'd still be in the office…it was pretty obvious that you liked her. You smile more when she's around. I mean, you smile around Jo, too, but like, it's not the same smile." Adam shrugged, certain he was digging himself into a hole. "See, this is what happens when you work with the same people who are trained to follow details. We notice stuff." He paused. "I'm really happy for you guys, Mac."

_Awkward silence…_ "Ookay, well I'm gonna go get back to the whole ushering thing-" He took a step toward the door.

"Adam."

Adam's hand froze on the doorknob. "Yeah?" he asked, not turning around, afraid of the look he might see on Mac's face.

"Thanks."

Adam let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Yeah…see you at the altar, boss!" he said over his shoulder. With a wave, he disappeared. The door clicked shut behind him, and Mac was left alone again with the butterflies in his stomach to keep him company once again.

* * *

><p>"Oh Stella…" Jess Angell breathed.<p>

"You look amazing," Lindsay told her best friend.

Stella Bonasera glanced back at them in the mirror. "Are you sure?" she asked. "This doesn't seem like it's fitting right." She stared at the woman before her. The dress was simple enough, a halter top with gold threading and small crystals through the bodice, coming to a gold sash around her waist that tied in the back. She'd left her hair down. She'd highlighted her eyes with gold eyeshadow this morning, and wore a simple pair of dangle earrings. Her flowers, white lilies, were sitting in a vase by the window.

"It's fitting perfectly," Lindsay said. "Makes you look good in all the right places. And the gold, that was a nice touch. I thought the color on the wedding dress fad was over but…I'm glad you decided to go with it."

Stella's hands were shaking as she lifted her curls so Jess could help with the necklace she'd chosen. She glanced in the mirror. Staring back at her was a woman she didn't recognize.

This woman….was happy. Not the "I'm putting on a brave face and lying to you" happy but the true, one hundred percent bliss of a woman about to marry the man of her dreams. Her hands felt clammy, and she kept wringing them in front of her.

"You're going to twist your ring off if you're not careful," Jo Danville said as she came into the room. "Take it from me, you don't want to lose that any sooner than you have to." She stepped up to Stella and gently grasped the woman's hands, holding them firm.

Stella let out her breath. "Thanks."

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, and Jess and Lindsay exchanged glances. "Stella, we're going to go check on our bouquets. We'll be right back." The two younger women made their exit, leaving Jo and Stella alone.

"How are your nerves?" Jo asked.

"They're….there," Stella replied. She bit her bottom lip.

"How about your feet?"

Stella glanced at her out of the corner of her eye in the mirror. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked the other woman carefully.

Jo laughed. "That wasn't a dig," she said. "The best woman won as far as I'm concerned. Besides I'm not into the whole marriage thing anyway." She winked, and Stella chuckled.

"I'm glad you're here, Jo," Stella admitted.

The dark-haired Southern woman raised an eyebrow. "I'm flattered but…I'd sure love an explanation."

"What do you mean?"

Jo raised an eyebrow. "Let's face it, honey, I'm Julia Roberts and you're Cameron Diaz. If this is a case of 'keep your enemies closer', I'm fine with it but..." She spread her hands. "Out of everybody in the office, you want me standing up next to you. And I can't figure out why."

Stella turned around and carefully made her way over to a chair. She sat down. "I waited for five years….waited to see if he'd ever make up his mind."

"And men think we're bad at it," Jo agreed.

"For five years, I worked 360 days a year with him. We saw so much….we went through so much together. And I fell in love with him." She shook her head. "And I waited for five years to see if he loved me back."

"Why did you leave, Stella?" Jo asked.

The bride closed her eyes. "Because I never got an answer. Or…maybe I was scared of the answer. I've told you about my track record with men. Either way I-I didn't want to wait anymore. So I took the position in New Orleans." She looked at the other woman. "Lindsay kept me in the loop about what was going on up here. When she told me about you...well, I convinced myself it was for the best, that he'd found who he was looking for. If you made him happy, I wouldn't stand in the way, but...I couldn't help but ask myself if he'd ever really loved me, or if it was just all in my head."

"You should have called," Jo said. "Because I found out the answer to your question the day I started working here."

Stella frowned. "What do you mean?"

Jo knelt down next to Stella on the floor, no easy task in her dress. "It's your wedding day, so I'm not going to lie to you. After I divorced Russ, and after I started at this job…it was real easy to like Mac. I mean, it was real easy to like the Naked Cowboy after Russ, but…Mac was something else. And I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't flirt a little. But it was pretty clear that Mac wasn't interested in me."

She looked up at Stella. "He had a woman on his mind." She pointed. "You. He never stopped thinking about you the whole time you were gone. It was always, 'Stella this' and 'Stella that'. Stella Bonasera, Mac Taylor loves you. Absolutely, completely. That's why the ring's on your hand. That's why you're saying 'I Do' this afternoon. Your bad luck is gone today. Today's all yours. Today…..today you won."

Stella smiled, felt tears welling in her eyes. "Whoa, whoa, don't cry," Jo said. "You'll ruin your makeup!" She winked, and Stella laughed, the tension in the room gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer****: I don't own the characters of "CSI:NY"-they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS.**

**Chapter 3**

She'd grown up in New Orleans. Lived in the city her entire life. Seen a lot of crazy things, both as a citizen of the city during Mardi Gras, during Katrina, during well….life in general, seen crazy things as a member of the NOLA CSI but…

New York City was a whole other kind of crazy. In her rush to find the church, she'd almost been hit by a taxi twice, run over by a horse-drawn carriage once, and propositioned by two homeless men, one whmo thought he was General Patton.

All this while wearing heels.

So it was no wonder that Georgina Rowan was breathing a little hard when she stepped through the doors of the church. She paused for a second to catch her breath.

"Are you all right?" The voice came from an older man on her left. He clicked his glasses together and peered down at her. Behind him, a beautiful older woman was looking at her concernedly.

"I-I'm fine," she told him. "Just got a little lost, that's all." She smiled up at him. "Those are cool glasses," she said.

"Thank you," Dr. Sid Hammerback replied. "Your accent…you must be from Stella's office down in New Orleans."

Gina nodded. "Yes, sir. I was on Stella's team while she was down there. When she told us all she was gettin' married, I promised I'd be here on behalf of everybody else. We just couldn't spare any other hands to come up here." She had caught her breath now. "She talked about you all all the time."

"All good, I hope?" Sid asked. His wife snickered.

Gina grinned. "All good," she reported.

"Hey Sid, Angell wanted to know if-"

Adam Ross stopped midsentence as he took in the redhead talking to Sid. Suddenly he wished he'd remembered his dressier shoes.

"Wanted to know….?" Sid pressed, trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile.

Adam blinked. "Huh?" He looked at Gina, then at Sid. "Yeah…I don't remember." He offered a hand to Gina. "Hi, I'm Adam."

She grinned as she shook it. "Hi. I'm _Mrs._ Gina Rowan."

The title never fazed the young man. "Nice to meet you." He looked at Sid. "Oh. I know what I was comin' to ask. Mac wanted to know if you'd seen Danny at all?"

Sid thought about that. "No, can't say I have."

Adam frowned. Then he nodded. Oh, that's right, he had to pick up the rings."

Gina glanced at the two ushers. "Danny…that's the best man, right? Picking up the rings the day of the wedding?" She shook her head with a smile. "Seems like there's a rule against that somewhere."

"Yeah well, when you propose and get married within two months, corners gotta be cut," Adam said.

"Speakin' of the proposal," Gina said, "Stella didn't exactly go into detail…" She leaned forward conspiratorially. "Ya'll wouldn't happen to know more, would you?"

Adam shook his head, but Sid nodded. "As it happens…"

The other lab tech leaned over to Gina. "Leave to Sid to know everything."

* * *

><p><em>Two months earlier…<em>  
><em>New Orleans, LA<em>

_It was becoming a regular occurrence. Stella Bonasera wondered if maybe it was almost _too_ regular a scenario._

_Scene: Tall, beautiful Greek woman meets unbelievably good-looking man. Man is funny, charming. Man offers to buy woman a drink. Woman is instantly on alert-between Frankie and Drew and-well, it's just easier to instantly distrust and dislike them right off the bat. That way if they turn out to be psycho killers, expectations stayed low._

_Scene: Woman agrees to meet man at bar. Man suggests an out-of-the way little place that he frequents. Woman, because she is instantly distrustful of said man, counteroffers with a small coffee shop in the French Quarter. Man makes a teasing remark about how woman doesn't seem to trust him. Woman responds flatly, "I don't."_

_Man exits stage right. _

_Woman now sits alone at small bar in French Quarter, because coffee just isn't gonna do it tonight. Her mind drifts in flashback to New York City. On the life she had before. She absently stirs her rum and coke and waits for the band to come on stage. Maybe they'll sing about someone's life that's worse than hers._

_She thinks about him while she waits. She's been doing that a lot lately._

_The band comes onstage, starting a slow, sultry bayou number. It's so easy to get lost in the music, in the heat, that she doesn't notice someone take the chair next to her. Her eyes are closed, her body is slowly swaying with the music._

_And he's watching her, as he so often used to do. How she gets caught up in the moment. How her hair follows her body in waves as she moves._

_When she finally opens her eyes, he says, "Hello, Stella."_

_It's the voice she's heard every night in her dreams since taking the position here. For a moment, she wonders if it's the alcohol, mixed with the rhythm, mixed with the heat of the night. But when she looks over her shoulder, it's him sitting there, in a black polo shirt and black jeans._

"_Mac?" She can't believe it. "What are you-how did you-"_

"_I haven't seen or heard from you in a year. I figured it was time for a visit."_

_She smiles. "It's really good to see you."_

"_You too," he replies. He catches one of the waitresses and orders a beer. They ignore the music as they catch up on the past year-his cases, her cases. His personal life. She purposely avoids hers. The lab. Danny, Lindsay, Hawkes, Adam, Sid, Flack. By the time it's closing time, she's missed the rest of the band, but he's more entertaining anyway. They talk until the bartender kicks them out._

_He walks her home. She's got a little apartment on the edge of the French Quarter. It's close enough she can walk to work, but far enough away she can keep her personal life and her job separate. _

_They're standing on the steps in awkward silence when he says, "I've missed you. Every day."_

_She pauses. "I have a phone. And a computer." Yes, she is upset that he's never tried to get ahold of her._

_He knows it. "I know. I…I just never knew what to say." He looks into her green eyes. "But I think I might now."_

_She's not letting him off the hook. "Really. And that would be?"_

_He takes her hand. It's a careful, gentle touch. He knows the luck she's had in the past, and that one touch promises it'll be different from here on out. "Stella…I love you. I…I've spent every day since you left thinking about you. Wondering why I signed the paperwork. Wondering why I let you go."_

_He _loves_ her. The one word sends shivers up her spine, but she has to ask him, "So then…why _did_ you let me go?"_

_He thinks about it for a moment. "I think I was scared. And I know you were too, even if you don't admit it. I was scared to give my heart away to someone else. It's been Claire's for so long…" He takes her other hand. "And she'll always have a part of it. But Stella…the rest of it is yours. For as long as you want it."_

_He pauses, embarrassed. "I'm getting too old for this stuff."_

_She steps off the stairs, draws his arms around her waist. "I left because I was afraid to push our friendship. I didn't want to ruin the one good thing in my life. But every day, I thought maybe…maybe there could be something more to it. I love you, Mac Taylor, and it scared me." She blushes. "I've been dependent on me for so long that I didn't think I could depend on anybody else. You proved me wrong. And that scared me. So I left before I could do anything about it."_

_It's quiet on the street. All they hear is the hum of the street lights, the wind in the trees. The traffic downtown._

"_So," he says. "Now that we've put our hearts on the line…where do we stand?"_

"_Well, apparently…I love you, and you love me." She states the facts, a small smile on her face._

_He drops to one knee, and her hands fly to her mouth. _"_Do you think….you could love me the rest of your life?" _

_There are tears in her eyes, and a promise in her voice, when she tells him, "Yes."_

_Then he's kissing her, and it's like Mardi Gras. An explosion of light and color._

_End scene._

She's got her two weeks' notice put in the next morning, leaving him crashed on the couch. She's coming home.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Danny was adjusting the links on his sleeves as he stepped into Caravelle's Jewlers. He nodded to the salesman behind the front counter-the same man had been there the day before when he'd dropped off the rings to be shined for the ceremony. He glanced around the small family-owned jeweler. Mac had chose them for his rings-the store was on the route he jogged in the early mornings before work, and he'd once helped the old man replace the glass in his windows when they'd been shattered by a bunch of teenage pranksters. The old man was so grateful that he'd told Mac he'd have a discount for anything the other man wanted, and Mac remembered it, years later. And luckily, so had the shopkeeper.

His eyes drifted over a case with a gorgeous pearl necklace. His mind flashed back to the night he'd ended up with the body in the subway, and Lindsay had shown up in her opera dress. Those would look great with that dress, he decided. _Wonder if that discount'll extend to the best man_?

Best Man. He still couldn't get used to the title.

Not gonna lie, he had just about fallen over when Mac had asked him two months ago.

"_Mac….are you sure?" He'd been cleaning a semiautomatic in Ballistics when Mac'd found him and asked. He'd set down the barrel and turned to face his boss. He really looked like the man to stand up next to Mac Taylor-in a face shield spattered with fake blood from a dummy. "Why me?"_

"_You're my first choice," Mac replied. "There's nobody else here I'd rather have standing up there with me."_

Looking back, Danny realized it'd sort of been a nonanswer, but then again, Mac Taylor wasn't much for long speeches or emotion. The fact that he'd even asked meant so much to Danny that he didn't really want or need an explanation, anyway.

The salesman came out from the back with two velvet boxes. "Here you are, for Mr. Mac!" he said proudly. Danny flipped open the box containing Stella's wedding band. He whistled. "You do nice work," he complimented him as he snapped the box shut. He looked at his watch. One hour to showtime. He handed the boxes back to the shopkeep as he reached for his phone to call Lindsay to let her know he was on his way.

He heard the bell above the door…and then he heard yelling.

"Hit the floor!"

Rifle fire shattered the case to his left, and Danny threw himself to the ground.

* * *

><p>"No!"<p>

Ellie Danville sighed. Lucy Messer stood on the pew, her little arms crossed in front of her.

"Oh come on, kiddo," Ellie tried, "you'll look so pretty!"

"No!" Lucy scrunched up her face and shook her head vehemently.

Don Flack came out into the sanctuary and burst out laughing. "If Father Thomas could see this!" he chuckled.

"Hi Flack," Ellie said exasperatedly.

"I know the church has gotten a little modern but…" Flack sighed as he looked at Lucy. "I think clothes are still mandatory."

"I've tried," Ellie replied.

"Where…." Flack took a breath and tried to quit laughing. "Where's her dress?"

"Over here," Tyler Danville said, holding it up from across the room. He joined the other two on the other side of the aisle. "This was a great idea, Ellie," he muttered, his ears a distinct shade of red.

"Let me have it," Flack said, shrugging out of his suit jacket and holding out his hand.

Tyler handed over the dress. "I'm gonna…..go somewhere." He disappeared down the center aisle.

Flack turned to the two girls. "Okay, before her mom and dad find out and send her to confession…." He stood in front of Lucy. "Hi Lucy."

"Hi Unca Flack," she said.

"Why aren't you in your dress?"

"Icky dress." the blonde said flatly.

"It's not icky, kiddo. It's pretty. You look like a princess." Flack sent a silent prayer heavenward that Lucy was still in the phase.

"No princess."

_Guess not_. "All right Luce," Flack said, bending down so he was eye level with her. "What will it take to get you into this dress?"

"Cookie!"

Flack crossed his arms, going into detective mode. "Pick somethin' else, I don't have a cookie. Your mommy would throw me out on my suittails if I gave you a cookie, especially after what I heard happened this morning."

Lucy shook her head. "No cookie. No dress."

Flack rolled his eyes. "You're your daddy's little girl. All right kiddo….how about this?" He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the velvet box with Jess's engagement ring. "Sweetie, I need help with something very important. Would you help Uncle Flack with it?"

He popped the lid on the box. Lucy's eyes lit up at the sparkly ring inside. "Pretty," she told Flack.

"Sweetie, I'm going to tell you a secret. Can you keep a secret?"

She nodded solemnly. "I'm going to give this ring to Auntie Jess. But I need someone to hide it for me." He put a finger on her nose. "You're good at hide and seek."

"I hide it!" Lucy said excitedly.

_Whoops. No. Bad idea. If she hides it we'll never see it again..._"Well…I thought of a really _really_ good place for it…" Flack said, drawing it out.

"Where?" Lucy asked him. "_Where_, Uncle Flack?"

Flack picked up Lucy's flower girl basket. "In here with your pretty flowers."

Lucy considered it. "Not bad," she said, sounding just like her father.

"Yeah? Good, I'm glad you think so….the thing is…." Flack bit his lip and looked at his 'niece'. "The thing is…you're the flower girl, right?"

"Yup!"

"So you have to carry the basket up the aisle when Stella goes up the aisle, right?"

"Yup!"

"Well….they won't let you do that if you're not wearing your dress."

Lucy considered that.

"And see…I want to give that ring to Auntie Jess while she's standing up there. But if you're not up there with the ring, then the whole thing doesn't work."

"No work?"

"Nope." Flack leveled with her. "But if you put on your dress, then you can be up there with the ring hiding in your basket. And then I can give it to Auntie Jess. Sound like a plan?"

The two-year-old thought about it. Then she raised her arms. Flack handed the dress to Ellie. "I'll give you the ring before you go up there, okay, kiddo?" He kissed the top of her forehead. "Thank you for helping me."

"Are welcome, Unca Flack!"

Flack grinned. _Score one for Uncle Flack._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of "CSI:NY"-they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS.**

**Author's Note****: THANK YOU to everyone reading, reviewing and alert-ing.**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

"Fashionably late, are we?" Sid Hammerback was standing in the back of the church, doing his usherly duties, when Sheldon Hawkes arrived, Evangeline in tow. Hawkes was resplendent in a suit and tie, and Angie radiated in a pretty pale green dress and heels.

"Is he married yet?" Hawkes asked.

Sid shook his head. "Nope."

Hawkes grinned. "Then I'm not late." He squeezed Angie's hand. "I'll see you inside."

"Hi Dr. Hammerback," Angie grinned as she took a program from the box and found Adam to take her inside. It didn't take a forensic scientist with a microscope to catch that Angie's hair was just a little loose in her twist, or that Hawkes' shirt was a little wrinkled.

Sid chuckled. _These young kids…they don't hide it very well_. "Hello Angie," he replied to her back. He gave a sidelong look at his wife. Martha Hammerback was chuckling to herself. Sid remembered back to when he was courting his wife. If her father had _ever_ caught them...

"How's Mac doin'?" Hawkes asked Sid.

"Well he was pacing about a half hour ago….so I think he's probably still pacing." Sid said. "Which is a good thing, because if you're not even the slightest bit nervous then I don't think you fully realize what you're getting in to. I remember-"

"Sid. Leave the speeches to the best man."

"Well I'd like to but…." A thought came to Sid. "I've not seen Danny today."

Hawkes frowned. "What?"

Sid checked his watch. "I haven't seen Danny yet."

"Well, are Lindsay and Lucy here?"

Sid nodded. "Yes, I believe there was an incident involving the flower girl's dress."

Hawkes looked at the clock above the stairs. "Where is he?"

"He had to go down-hello, bride or groom's side?-" Sid paused to seat an elderly couple in the back row before rejoining Hawkes. "Down to the jewelers to pick up the rings."

Something occurred to Hawkes, and he froze. "Sid…there was just a report that came on the radio that there's a standoff at one of the jewelry stores downtown. You don't think…"

Sid raised an eyebrow. "I do think. If Danny's not here and there's something going down, then that's where Danny'll be."

"Don't tell the groom," Hawkes said. "I'll be back!" He turned for the doors and disappeared out into the street.

* * *

><p>Danny had been lying prone on the floor while they smashed the glass cases and took what they wanted that sparkled and shone. He stole glances every now and then of the wannabe robbers. They were both speaking some language other than English or Spanish, which were really the only two languages he knew-well, apart from Italian, but his Italian was mostly food and words he used in bed...<p>

Though right now, he felt like using some of the Italian swear words he knew. _C'mon, man you gotta be kiddin' me! Today of all days, really? 'Danny Messer walks into a jewelry store…'_

Then he _did_ swear in Italian as the two men came over to the shopkeeper and demanded he hand over the box in his hands.

Mac and Stella's wedding rings. _Damn it!_

He was going to have to do something. He didn't know what. Two guys with pistols…and he had nothing but his tux and his wits.

And his _cell_. Moving slowly, praying they wouldn't notice, Danny slid a hand down into his jacket pocket and fingered his cell phone. Lindsay had wanted him to leave it at home. He was glad as hell he hadn't. He managed to grab it and slide it from his pocket.

The two thugs grabbed the box from the shopkeeper, and then smashed one more glass case. One of them started yelling in whatever-it-was they were speaking, and the two of them took off. Danny heard sirens. _Ah. The cavalry's here…fashionably late!_ He hung up his phone.

"Stay here!" Danny yelled after a moment, making sure the two robbers were gone, and that the shopkeeper was okay. Then he was on his feet, and on the sidewalk, chasing after them.

He heard squealing brakes behind him, and a cab door was thrown open as Sheldon Hawkes bounded out onto the street. "Danny!"

"Hawkes! They got Mac and Stella's rings!" Danny yelled. "Come on, we gotta go get em!"

Hawkes glanced skyward. "You gotta be kidding me," he said out loud to no one. Then he shook his head as he sprinted down the street after Danny.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer****: I don't own the characters of CSI:NY. They belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS.**

**CHAPTER SIX**

Mac Taylor stood at the back of the church. The place was starting to fill. He chuckled to himself-never ever did he think there'd be this many people at his _second_ wedding. But news travels fast when you're the head of the NY Crime Lab, and it seemed like everyone Mac and his team had helped over the years was there. Add in friends, coworkers, members of New York's elite (he saw the mayor somewhere near the front and laughed-_I thought he was still mad at me about the budget cuts)_, and the place was packed.

Lindsay, Jess and Jo appeared, Lucy in tow. Jo whistled. "Wow…from a suit and tie to well….a tux and tie." She grinned. "You clean up so well."

He smiled. Flack appeared. Jess smiled at him, and Flack grinned back before turning to Lindsay. "You mind if I borrow the flower girl for a sec?" he asked, before swinging Lucy into his arms and carrying her a little ways away.

All day, Jess Angell had been convinced that Don Flack was trying to stay as far away from her as he possibly could. She was having a hard time reading him. _What the heck is going on?_

Lindsay shook her head. "I swear he's been the only person she'll listen to today."

"Don't worry, they grow out of it," Jo assured her. She frowned thoughtfully. "Mostly."

Mac checked his watch, then looked around. Sid and Martha Hammerback were talking to the young woman Stella had invited from New Orleans. Adam was flirting with a young woman who looked decidedly lost.

"Where are Danny and Hawkes?" he asked. His groomsman and Best Man were conspicuously absent.

Lindsay pulled out her phone from her dress.

Angell burst out laughing. "_Where_ were you keeping that?" she teased. Her smile faded when she realized that Lindsay wasn't laughing.

"I haven't heard from Danny since he dropped us off this morning," she said, frowning.

* * *

><p>Stella glanced at the clock on the wall. <em>Almost time<em>. Her heart started to flutter a little faster. She looked at herself in the mirror one final time. "I'm ready," she whispered .Everything today was going perfect. It was better than she'd dreamed it would be. Ten minutes.

* * *

><p>The sight of two masked men getting chased by a handful of NYPD officers and two men in suits in most places would have turned a few heads.<p>

In New York, people in Times Square took it for granted. Hawkes actually caught two tourists snapping photos as he jumped a railing and tried to keep up with the rings. "Where the hell are they going?" he yelled breathlessly to Danny.

"Who knows, man, just don't lose 'em!"

Danny Messer was _pissed_. He was going to look like hell when he got back to the church….and if he wasn't mistaken, he was going to catch hell too. _I wonder if Mac'll promote Flack to Best Man after this_.

_Screw that_! Danny gave himself one last burst of energy and threw himself on one of the fleeing criminals. Hawkes managed to catch the shirt of the other, and swung him into a wall. The thug hit the ground hard, and Hawkes turned him over, pinning him to the ground with his knee.

"See, you made me wrinkle my suit, man. I was mad before, now I'm _really_ mad. My two-year-old behaves better than you." Danny was barking at the other.

Hawkes raised an eyebrow. "Really, Danny?"

"Shut up, Hawkes. That one's got the rings."

Hawkes frisked the thug, who was swearing at him in German. Hawkes told him to shut up. Then he groaned. "Danny, man, you're not gonna believe this…"

"Don't say it. _Don't_ say it." Danny growled. He shoved the face of Criminal #1 into the cement. "Seriously? Where the hell are those rings?"

"Detective?" One of the NYPD officers in uniform, came up with his partner to assist in subduing the two thieves. He was holding two velvet boxes in his hand. "These fell out during the chase."

Danny traded the rings for the thief he was sitting on. He flipped open the box.

Two wedding bands gleamed back at him.

* * *

><p>"I'm gonna kill him." Lindsay was fuming. "Then I'm gonna raise him from the dead, and kill him again."<p>

"I'm sure everything's fine," Jess assured her. "He and Hawkes are probably out putting baby powder in the Avalanche's air vents."

Jo raised an eyebrow. "Mmmm, not if they still want their jobs, they're not," she said.

Angie and Gina came out of the pews and out to join the bridesmaids. "Do ya'll start anything on time in New York?" Gina asked. She tapped her watch. "Hate to be a bug and all, but I've got a flight to catch tonight."

"We believe in dragging out the suspense," Jess replied, and Gina smiled.

"Where's Sheldon?" Angie asked, glancing around.

"Hawkes isn't here either?" Jess asked, then grimaced.

"What do you mean, 'he isn't here'?" Angie demanded. "He and I came together. He _was_ here…"

"Okay ladies, it's almost showti-whoa." Adam came over to the group of women, but when every single one of them turned to him and gave him The Look, he shrank back ten feet.

Lindsay felt a tug on her dress. She looked down at Lucy. "Where Daddy?" her daughter asked her.

She smoothed her daughter's hair. "That's what Mommy would like to know, sweetheart," she ground out, plastering a smile on her face.

"Hey, the crowd's getting' restless out there," Flack said, joining the group in the back of the church. He did a fast head count. "Okay, where're Messer and the doc?"

"Good question," Mac replied. "Don, you're about to be promoted-"

"Here they come!" Sid announced from the doorway. He'd just spotted an NYPD cruiser pull up. Hawkes and Danny were let out of the back seat.

A last minute guest, a very elderly woman, was being helped into the church by Adam. She looked at the two men in the suits, then at the rest of the group. "Are _they_ in the wedding?" she asked curiously.

Sid didn't miss a beat. "Yes ma'am, they're out on a one-day pass. Good friends of the groom."

Danny and Hawkes jogged up the stairs to the group, breathing heavily, both looking a little unkempt. Both of them glanced at each other, then at the group of their friends who were glaring at them.

"Don't ask," Hawkes said.

"What happened?"

"Where the _hell_ have you been?"

"Are you okay?" This came from Gina, who noticed that Hawkes had a small cut over one eye.

"You both look like you really _did _ just get out of Rikers. Geez Hawkes, one jailbreak wasn't enough for you?"

"Shut up Adam."

Mac cleared his throat, and everyone shut up. "Now that everybody is here," he said dryly, "does anyone mind if we go ahead with the wedding?"


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

_Yeah,_ Sheldon Hawkes decided as he escorted Jo Danville up the aisle, _it's about time we got around to doing this_. The church was crowded with friends, coworkers, some of New York City's top brass, and many, many of the people that Mac and Stella had saved in their time at the lab. Hawkes spotted the little boy Stella had reunited with his parents, now a young man. He saw the elderly woman whom Mac had celebrated the _yahrzeit_ after catching the Nazi war criminal.

_So many people here to celebrate._ They stopped at the head of the aisle, and Sheldon let go of Jo's arm and joined Mac.

Jo Danville, for her part, was glad that she was a bridesmaid, and _not_ the bride. She looked out into the crowd and saw her two children. Tyler made a face at her, and Ellie stuck her tongue out. _They get their church manners from their father_. She glanced back down the aisle as Angell and Flack began the slow walk up the aisle.

She knew Flack was proposing today, and she hoped everything went well with it.

* * *

><p>"Left….right…." Flack was whispering to Angell as they made their way up the aisle. She was laughing as she threatened to hit him with her bouquet. Flack could feel his nerves starting to settle in. <em>Holy CRAP, what was I thinkin' giving the ring to a two year old? She's old enough to not want to put things in her mouth, right? If she drops it, will I be able to see it? <em>

He stumbled at the head of the runner, and Angell steadied him with one arm. "Nice landing," she whispered, and he choked out a laugh.

* * *

><p>"As soon as Daddy and Mommy get alllll the way up there, then you get to come in, okay?" Lindsay was explaining to Lucy. She hadn't performed well in rehearsals and Lindsay was wondering if Danny was going to have to come down the aisle and get her.<p>

"We're on, Montana," Danny said. He winked at his daughter. "See ya up there, baby," he told her as he offered his arm to his wife as they started up the aisle. As they walked, Danny glanced around. "Do you ever wish we did this?" he asked Lindsay.

She shook her head. "No. That's not either one of us's style. The way we did it was….just right," she said happily. She sighed. "I'm _so_ happy for Mac and Stella."

"Well, we _knew_-"

"Yes, honey, I know. Now smile, we're almost there."

Danny took his place next to Mac and offered his boss and his friend a respectable nod. Mac sort of glanced his way before his eyes were locked on the back of the church.

Lucy Messer started down the aisle, throwing her white and gold petals down the runner. She was smiling happily. _Unca Flack and I has a secret_, she thought to herself. She looked up and saw Uncle Flack standing up there. She smiled broadly and Flack flashed her a thumbs up.

She made it all the way up the aisle without incident, and Lindsay breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>The crowd stood up as the music changed…and Mac Taylor literally lost his breath.<p>

_She's beautiful_.

Stella Bonasera had teased Mac mercilessly about the fact that he was _not_ allowed to see her dress _at all_ before the wedding, let alone lay one eye on her. "The way our luck has been, Mac, do you want to take any chances? I sure don't."

Her breath caught as the music changed. _Here we go_… She stepped out from the shadow, and she watched Mac's eyes widen. He locked eyes with her. She barely remembered coming up the aisle. All she could see was Mac, all she could feel was Mac. She was already tearing up, and she knew Jo would be retouching her makeup before the photos.

The walk up the aisle seemed to take seconds. When she arrived, escorted by no one, Mac took her hand, firmly cementing her feet to the floor. This was reality. She was going to marry her best friend.

When she said her vows, she meant every single word.

_I will cherish every day with you. I will love you my whole life, and after that. I'll never leave you._

When he said his own, she knew he was making her a promise, and Mac Taylor _never_ broke a promise. Ever.

_I'll never break your heart. I'll never hurt you. I'll never make you cry. I will love you until I take my last breath._

The turbulence of the years, the drama of the day, none of that mattered in the moment the words, "You may now kiss the bride" were spoken. Stella Bonasera blocked out the rest of the world as Mac took her in his arms and gave her a long, slow kiss in front of everyone.

Today was…._perfect_.

* * *

><p>The church's basement was doubling tonight as the reception hall. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and small tea light candles glittered in the center. A simple banner designed by Adam said, "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Taylor" and hung above the head table. Dinner was also simple, do it yourself sandwiches.<p>

Simple. Just the way the bride and groom wanted it. "After all," Mac had said, "I think there's been enough drama that we don't need anything big happening at the wedding."

Which made Don Flack decide to put his proposal off for the evening.

Until Lucy Messer tugged on Jessica Angell's dress during dinner and handed her a little black box. "For you Auntie Jess!" Lucy announced.

Lindsay and Danny turned beet red. Flack's jaw dropped.

"This is what happens when you give the ring to a two year old," Hawkes muttered under his breath, and Flack elbowed him in the ribs.

Jess took the box from Lucy's hand and opened it slowly, her eyes widening at the simple diamond ring on a silver band. She looked over at Don Flack. "Don?" she asked, using his given name in her surprise. "What is this?"

Mac and Stella, who were both seated in the middle of the table, looked down at Flack. "What did I say about nothing exciting happening?"

Jo leaned over to the two of them. "You should both know better," she teased.

Flack stepped over to Jess. "This is….not exactly the way I wanted this to go down," he admitted. "Jess I just watched two of my good friends promise to love each other the rest of their lives. I can't promise that every day you're going to love me, I can't promise that I'll never do or say something stupid, but I do swear to you that I'll love you every day of the rest of your life…if you say yes."

Jess bent down and whispered something in Lucy's ear. Then she nudged the flower girl in Flack's direction. Lucy came over to her favorite uncle, and Flack swung her into his arms. "Unca Flack, she says okay," Lucy told him seriously.

A smattering of 'Aws' came from the crowd. Jess came over to them and put Lucy on the floor. "Actually, what she said was yes," she told him, and Flack gave her a hug as the audience clapped politely.

"Way to steal the show," Danny hissed under his breath.

Flack barely broke their kiss, "Shut up, Danny."

Stella had tears In her eyes. Mac gave her hand a squeeze. Today really was perfect. They were happy, their friends were there with them, and they were all loved.

As he led her onto the floor for their first dance, they showed the entire room that it was still their day, despite everyone else's attempt to take it over. Lindsay, Jess and Gina were all in tears. Gina took a photo with her phone and sent it back to the NOLA crime lab-and her husband with, "Remember this? ?

Danny picked up Lucy and put his arm around Lindsay. He glanced over and saw Flack and Jess enthralled in each other's arms. Hawkes was sharing a private joke with Angie. Sid and Martha were leaning over the table, their foreheads gently touching, and it looked like Sid was singing along with the song. Even Adam was in an intense conversation with the young woman who had mistakenly come to the wrong church, wrong wedding. She seemed like she was in the right place for the time being.

And then the music started, and Mac pulled Stella into a slow waltz, and everyone's eyes turned to them.

_Everyone's together_, Lindsay thought happily as she gave her husband a kiss.

_The way it should be._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Thank you to lily moonlight for nudging me out of my comfort zone to write some yummy SMacked goodness. Coming up, I return to more familiar territory. Stay tuned!<strong>


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